The ingredients necessary for a successful hip-hop album are pretty straightforward. Add in some cameos from fellow rap heavy-hitters (Jay-Z, Ludacris, Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne). Throw in popular R&B talents to sing the hooks on a few cuts (Usher, John Legend, Justin Timberlake). Make sure to have at least one track produced by a well-known producer (Swizz Beatz). Finally, team up with the hot artist of the moment to ensure radio and television airplay (Rihanna). Add in the requisite bravado and designer label name-dropping, play at loud volume for 16 tracks, remove and let cool in CD collection for years to come.
Although Paper Trail appears on the surface to be the standard hip-hop release from a reliable industry hit-maker, the album goes above and beyond the typical rap CD, with lyrics that are reflective, thoughtful, and refreshingly candid. As most T.I. fans are aware, the rapper is scheduled to enter prison in March 2009 to begin serving a sentence he received after pleading guilty to federal weapons charges. The charges stem from the October 2007 incident in which T.I. was arrested hours before he was to perform at the BET Hip-Hop Awards. T.I. does not shy away from the incident on his CD, instead choosing to tell his side of the story the best way he knows how, laying his feelings bare through his rhymes.
On “Ready for Whatever”, T.I. provides a descriptive monologue, taking the listener back to October 2007, and his mindset at the time of his arrest. He touches on the death of his close friend and personal assistant Philant Johnson who was shot and killed in 2006, and how Johnson’s death contributed to T.I.’s feelings of unease about his safety. T.I. is sincere in accepting responsibility for his actions, but also vehemently raps about wanting to protect his family, the unfairness of the public judging his actions without knowing what it’s like to walk in his shoes, and feeling like a target because of his celebrity status.
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Tags: Jay-Z, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Lil' Wayne, Ludacris, Paper Trail, Ready for Whatever, Review, Swizz Beatz, T.I., Usher
